


First Flight/Late Love

by agonothymicInsomniac



Category: League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra
Genre: Age Difference, Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Rarepair, idk really just a chill fic haha, some how to train your dragon type stuff, yes that title is a mitski reference
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24359545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agonothymicInsomniac/pseuds/agonothymicInsomniac
Summary: Two moments from High Silvermere in which Cithria confronts vile Demacian beasts.
Relationships: Cithria/Tianna Crownguard
Kudos: 12





	First Flight/Late Love

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a oneshot back in early February based on some fanart. There's a 2nd chapter as well (bc I'm uncontrollable I guess) but I'm still editing it so please be patient~ Otherwise, enjoy!

When the High Marshal invited her to High Silvermere along with the Crownguard siblings, Cithria imagined it would be a whole lot more excitement, and a  _ loooot _ less work. Instead of having fun exploring the beautiful cliffsides, admiring the famed Crownguard palace, partaking in rich feasts, or, hell, even spending time with her beloved Tianna, the knight had been hard at work all day. Before she could do much, Lux had pulled her aside, eyes shining with anticipation. 

"Wanna see something cute?" she had asked innocently, her eyes practically burning through Cithria’s skull.

Well, whenever Lux looked excited about something, it wasn't exactly fun to reject her. And there's no harm in checking out something for just a little bit, right?

She wished she had known what she got herself into before it became an all-morning affair. Lux brought her to a tower near the top of the cliff sides and told Cithria to wait outside. No sooner than 5 minutes later did Lux come out, bearing a small, yellow Demacian raptor in her arms.

_ Oh no.  _ Cithria went into panic mode. These creatures… She had so many horrible memories. Fingers getting bit, nose getting pecked, their needle-like talons digging into her arms... She didn’t miss it one bit. Lux mistook her stunned silence for awe, and soon started dragging her by the arm into the aery to see the rest of the little demons.

_ Squak!! Squaaaak!!! Squa-a-ak! _

The colorful little raptors sat in their cushy pen, slurping up grubs that a falconer poured into a trough for them. Their voices, overlapping.. Their needs, unceasing… and somehow Lux found these things  _ cute _ ? She stared at the gruesome scene. It seemed like the younger Crownguard began to pick up on her apprehensiveness.

“Oh, c’mon Cithria! Why don’t you just try feeding this one?” she hummed, pulling her to a pen further in. An adolescent silverwing sat up before them, and Cithria’s eyes widened. Lux picked up the nearby feeding bucket and handed it to her.

“I-I a, wha-?” the knight blurted out, unable to form sentences. She looked into the bucket at the worms wriggling furiously. “O-oh?”

Lux motioned to the trough, and Cithria turned to face it. The faster she got this over with, the sooner she could leave. She began pouring the worms out, and quickly. That’s when she felt a sharp tug on her braid.

She was surprised the Silverwing hadn’t chopped it off immediately. Lux screamed when Cithria panicked, the knight throwing the bucket of grubs halfway across the aery. The little yellow raptor got excited at the rain of food, wriggling it’s way out of Lux’s arms and flying clumsily towards Cithria to catch a worm that had landed on her. It caused the girl to stagger backwards, where her footing caught on an awkward, misplaced wooden plank. She stumbled and fell into the bird’s water bowl with a large splash, completely soaking the back of her clothes, and half of the straw on the floor. The knight supposed the sudden thrashing about she resorted to was enough to alert the raptor that no, he was not welcome to play with her hair, and it was only then that he let go.

Lux apologized profusely to the falconkeep and the two girls spent the whole morning cleaning the mess Cithria made. The walk back to the Crownguard’s was silent except for an awkward laugh from Lux followed by, “I guess he thought your braid was the biggest worm, huh?”

Cithria was not amused.

When she got back to the Crownguard’s home and asked for Tianna, she was directed to a structure atop one of the highest peaks of the cliffs, albeit not far from the house. If Tianna really was waiting there… She grit her teeth and kept climbing, but even for a Dauntless Vanguard it was a lot. 

“They don’t call it  _ High _ Silvermere for nothing,” she grunted, finally reaching the strange little building. She supposed it was more like a landing than anything. It reminded her of a dock a ship may stop at, just with Demacian-style architecture and in the sky.

Though the setting sun threatened to shine into her eyes, keeping her from getting the best view, she saw a figure at the end of the landing next to a large silhouette she couldn’t quite place.

“Cithria,” Tianna called out, her voice calm and content to see her.

The knight smiled and walked a bit faster, using her arm to shield her eyes until she could properly find shade. When she reached Tianna and put it down, she first saw her lover with her white-blonde hair pulled back into a bun, and dressed in a riding outfit. The other figure, however... Well, she was disgusted at what she saw. The silhouette she couldn’t place turned out to be the largest Silverwing she had seen that day.

“Her name is Grinnow,” the High Marshal explained, looking up to the bird fondly. “I’ve cared for her since I was… well, your age.”

Cithria found herself holding onto her braid tightly, but wasn’t quite sure when she had grabbed onto it. Luckily, Tianna had far more tact than Lux, and picked up on her negativity quickly.

“Did something happen?” she asked, reaching out and taking a gentle hold of one of Cithria’s hands.

The knight quickly explained the earlier situation. She expected Tianna to laugh or chastise her for not being braver, but instead the older woman looked at her with concern. She learned down and pressed a soft kiss to Cithria’s forehead.

“I have an idea, perhaps,” she began, and patted the harness on the Silverwings back. “Why don’t we go for a flight?”

Cithria was dumbstruck. Had Tianna not heard any of the situation she  _ just described? _

"No. Way," Cithria said, crossing her arms over her chest and digging her heels into the ground. She looked up at the Demacian Silverwing, pouting. “I am  _ not _ riding on that thing.”

As much as the High Marshal tried to hide it, she sighed and gripped the reins of the raptor, clearly annoyed with the stubborn girl. The older woman began to explain, “Perhaps it will give you a new perspective, a new  _ appreciation _ for the creatures that are so vital for the Dauntless Vanguard to function smoothly. Our best scouts use these to survey enemies, you know.”

Cithria bit her lip and looked up at the Silverwing. Funnily enough, it looked much like Tianna. Elegant, sharp, incredibly refined, and definitely much older than the young raptors she saw today. The two certainly had a similar air about them. She wondered if it was like this for every raptor and their trainer. The silverwing squawked gently and Cithria jumped.

Without letting go of her hand, Tianna slowly led Cithria’s to the bird’s fluffy throat. She could feel the large creature breathe, it’s heart beating strongly. Or maybe it was her own. She wasn’t sure anymore.

“Grinnow is well-trained, she won’t hurt you.”

Cithria didn’t quite pet the bird, but she wasn’t in a rush to take her hand away either. It looked into her eyes, it’s gaze intense but gentle. It was just how Tianna looked at her.

“I think…,” Cithria hesitated, but continued, “I am willing to… _ try _ riding it... with you.”

As though the Silverwing actually understood, Grinnow lowered herself so that Tianna could hop on, and the older woman did as though she had a hundred times before. She reached out a hand for Cithria and pulled her up.

“Just hold onto me,” she said cooly, “and try not to close your eyes, hmm? You’ll miss the view.”

She obliged and wrapped her arms tightly around Tianna, not tight enough to suffocate her but enough to certainly make her presence unmistakable.

Grinnow faced the edge of the ledge and took a few strides back, Tianna commanding the bird wordlessly with the gestures of her reins. Far before Cithria was prepared for it, the Silverwing began sprinting quickly towards the edge of the ledge. At the last moment, Tianna shouted, “Hya!” and the two were up in the air.

The world was a blur for a moment until the knight could collect her bearings. She knew Tianna told her not to close her eyes, but in a way she couldn’t help it. She felt her braid whipping wildly behind her, the sound of the wind so loud in her ears… she buried her face in the older woman’s back.

“Starling?” she heard over the wind. “Are you looking at this?”

She shook her head, still pressing her face into Tianna’s back. She hoped she felt her answer.

“I think you should.”

Cithria opened her eyes very, very slowly. She barely turned her head, intentionally blocking most of the view with her shoulder, not wanting to face their surroundings. As soon as she caught a glimpse, however, she couldn’t look away. The clouds around them were painted various shades of pinks, oranges, and purples, the stars only just visible in the night sky above them. Below was the city of High Silvermere, the buildings looking hilariously small from so high up. The mountains seemed so much lusher from their vantage point, and the water that surrounded the city glistened in the light of the setting sun. As the two rose higher Cithria felt as though she could reach out and touch the pink-tinted clouds, but she didn’t dare try.

They floated around in the dreamy atmosphere for some time, and even Grinnow looked as though she were enjoying their flight.

“So? Are you still afraid?” Tianna asked after a long moment.

Cithria blinked. She had momentarily forgotten why they had gone up here to begin with. To help with her fear. “Yes… I think I’m still afraid,” she admitted. “But... maybe just a little less now.”

“If it means you’re less afraid, then this will have been worth it.”

The young knight smiled and relaxed. She felt cared for, and her tight grip on Tianna turned into more of a gentle hug as the two continued to fly through the skies over High Silvermere.


End file.
